Indira Devi | |
|---|---|
 Devi in 1938[1] | |
| Born | 26 February 1912 Kapurthala, Kapurthala State, British India |
| Died | 1 September 1979 (aged 67) Ibiza, Spain |
| Education | Queen Mary College, Lahore |
| Occupation | Radio presenter |
| Years active | 1939–1968 |
| Employer | BBC Radio |
| Known for |
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| Mother | Brinda Devi |
| Relatives | Jagatjit Singh (grandfather) |
Indira Devi of Kapurthala (26 February 1912 – 1 September 1979), affectionately known as the Radio Princess, was an Indian socialite and princess, the eldest grandchild of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of the princely state of Kapurthala in Punjab, British India. During the Second World War she was recruited as a political correspondent to George Orwell, for the India team of the BBC. There, she became a regular broadcaster of the programme The Debate Continues from the House of Commons, and Hello Punjab, a programme in Hindustani for the British Indian Army. With Narayana Menon she hosted the Indian Service musical programmes.
At the age of 23, Devi had secretly travelled to London to become an actress, telling only her two sisters, and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. For a brief period, she worked at London Films with Alexander Korda, and in 1938, she appeared on stage for the first time, when she played the role of a Turkish slave girl.
At the onset of the Second World War, Devi sat the St John Ambulance examinations and qualified in first aid. She subsequently transported casualties during the Blitz. In 1943, she was appointed permanently within the BBC Radio's Overseas Service Division, and in 1951, she reported on the 30th anniversary of the 1921 Northern Ireland general election. Following a road trip to India in 1958, she narrated a film by the explorer Count Vitold de Golish, Twilight of the Maharajahs, for the BBC in their Adventure series. It was delivered alongside her own life, having discovered old film footage after revisiting her former palace in India. She continued to work for the BBC until 1968, and spent her last years in Ibiza, Spain, where she managed a bar.